The present invention relates to grass trimming devices and more particularly to power-operated rotary tools which removes excess growth of grass and related plants from the proximity of lawn sprinkler heads.
It has been a well-known problem in recent years to remove excess growth of grass, and the like, from the vicinity of sprinkler heads. Grass and other plant growth have a tendency to grow in excessive amounts and at accelerated rates in the vicinity of such heads. The over-abundance of undesired moisture and the accumulation of fertilizers in such areas causes the problem of undesired appearance and sprinkler head deficiency to occur in a frequent manner.
Attempts to alleviate the problem have been done with such complicated devices as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,174,224, issued to L. H. Rousselet utilizing a hand held motor driven unit resembling a post hole digger which is held over the sprinkler head and then actuated to perform the cutting operation. This type of trimming job entails the use of a complicated unit which is used separately from other gardening equipment thereby causing additional cost and labor for the person grooming the lawn. The Ford et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,103, shows a similar mechanism.
Another method to attain the trimming of the growth is shown in Davis, U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,639, which attempts to place a sprinkler head trimmer onto a power operated edging mechanism. A series of complicated connecting levers and controls offer a device which takes a number of motions to manipulate and to operate and adds to the cost of the device.
More recently, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,283, issued to Morgan, illustrates a machine to remove such growth.
While an effort was made in the patent to Morris, U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,102, the device shown still requires attachment and removal from the actual rotary drive means. This requires the use of additional tools to accomplish the task and thereby takes more time than is desired. If the device is not removed from the blade, it presents a severe safety hazard as well as interfering with edging near bushes, walls or other vertical matter. Because of the design of the blade in Morris, it is not practical to provide means for quickly connecting or disconnecting the sprinkler trimming blade to the existing edge trimming blade.
The need is apparent, that an apparatus for trimming away the excess growth of plant life from the proximity of sprinkler heads, and the like, whether they be at ground level or recessed below the surface, is needed by the present art.